Of the 44 current or former AJGA players who advanced to match play at the 2014 U.S. Amateur, alums Frederick Wedel and Denny McCarthy survived the longest with semifinal appearances.

While no current or former AJGA players advanced to the
finals of the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship – which has seen 21 AJGA players
win – the field had a strong AJGA showing as 247 former and current AJGA
members qualified and 44 advanced to match play at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Round of 64

Burns vs. NeSmith
In a battle of former Rolex Tournament of Champions victors, 2014 champion Sam Burns defeated 2012 Rolex Junior
Player of the Year Matt NeSmith.
Burns, coming off a win at the Junior PGA Championship, won the match, 2 and 1.
The LSU commit went undefeated at the 2014 Wyndham Cup, the AJGA’s annual team
match play event.

A junior at South Carolina, NeSmith notched three
Invitational victories during his AJGA career including the 2011 Polo Golf
Junior Classic, the 2012 FJ Invitational and the 2012 Rolex Tournament of
Champions. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American represented the East at the
2011 and 2012 Wyndham Cup, posting a 6-2-0 career record.

Zalatoris vs. Niebrugge
U.S. Junior Amateur Championship winner Will
Zalatoris took down Oklahoma State’s Jordan
Niebrugge, 2 and 1, to advance. The duo owns a shared AJGA history which
includes apperances at tournaments during their AJGA career overlap. Both
competed at the 2012 FJ Invitational, where Niebrugge tied for sixth, as well
as three starts in 2011: the FJ Invitational, Rolex Tournament of Champions and
the Polo Golf Junior Classic.

Logue vs. Horsfield
In the only match between two current AJGA players, recent first-time AJGA
champion Isaiah Logue defeated Sam Horsfield, 2 and 1. Logue, who is
No. 32 in the Polo Golf Rankings, tied for third at the 2014 FJ Invitational
and won the AJGA Philadelphia Junior, his last AJGA event. He will start his
collegiate career at Liberty University this fall.

At No. 16 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Horsfield made his AJGA
debut at the 2013 Polo Golf Junior Classic, taking down defending champion Adam Wood and No. 1-ranked and No.
2-seed ScottieScheffler to earn his spot in the semifinals.

Round of 32Nineteen current or former AJGA players advanced to the Round of 32.

Schniederjans vs. Burns
Burns’ time at Atlanta Athletic Club came to an end as No. 1-ranked amateur in
the world and Georgia Tech golfer Ollie
Schniederjans won in 20 holes. After being 3-down, Burns won three of the
final four holes to tie the match. Schniederjans, the 2009 Polo Golf Junior
Classic champion, closed the match on the second extra hole.

Young vs. Logue
After defeating Horsfield in the Round of 16, Logue was matched with fellow
current AJGA player Cameron Young. The
reigning Polo Golf Junior Classic champion defeated Logue, 2-up.

Young burst onto the AJGA scene with a debut performance at the 2013 Junior
PLAYERS Championship presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf. He carded rounds of
75 and 67 to earn his spot in the leader group on the final day. Young went on
to take down three Rolex Junior All-Americans in match play en route to his
victory at the 2013 Polo Golf Junior Classic.

Phillips vs. Meth
The youngest current AJGA player in the U.S. Amateur field, Trevor Phillips lost to AJGA alum Byron Meth, 5 and 4. Phillips has
recorded seven top-10 AJGA finishes and most recently tied for ninth at the
Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy Junior Championship. The 2016 graduate has
verbally committed to Georgia.

Meth, a junior at Pacific, competed in AJGA events from 2008
to 2011. In his final AJGA season, he made appearances at the Thunderbird
International Junior, FJ Invitational and Rolex Tournament of Champions, with
his best finish coming at FJ Invitational where he tied for 18th.

Round of 16
Twelve current or former AJGA players advanced to the Round of 16.

Olsen vs. Zalatoris
One of the biggest upsets of the 2014 U.S. Amateur saw Oklahoma States’ Zach Olsen end Zalatoris’ run. Olsen
captured a 5-and-3 victory over Zalatoris. During their AJGA careers, the pair
of Rolex Junior All-Americans competed in nine events together – last at the
2012 FJ Invitational.

Quarterfinals
Six of the eight players in the quarterfinals were current or former AJGA
players. Pepperdine’s Frederick Wedel defeated
Nathan Smith, 4 and 3. There are 13 years between the date of Smith’s
last AJGA event in 1997, and Wedel’s AJGA debut in 2010.

After defeating Kyle
Jones in the Round of 16, Young lost to eventual champion Gunn Yang, 2-up.

Semifinals
The final two AJGA alums left in the competition both fell in the semifinals.
Wedel lost to eventual champion Gunn Yang in 19 holes, while eventual runner-up
Corey Conners defeated Denny McCarthy,
1-up.

Before he began his career at Pepperdine, Wedel competed in
AJGA events from 2010 to 2012 and collected four top 10s. He closed his AJGA
career with a T4 finish at the 2012 Genesis Shootout presented by the Valero
Texas Open.

McCarthy was a 2010 Rolex Junior All-American after a final campaign
which began with a quarterfinal appearance at the Polo Golf Junior Classic and
included 2010 highlights: runner-up finish at the Thunderbird International
Junior, a sixth-place showing at the FJ Invitational, a tie for third at the
U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and his signature victory at the Junior PGA
Championship.

The American Junior Golf Foundation is the primary recipient of all charitable giving to the AJGA and as such administers a variety of programs designed to compliment the AJGA and the members and families who make up our community. Learn more about these important programs and how your contributions to the Foundation secure the AJGA’s financial future for future generations to come.

The Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program provides financial assistance to junior golfers who wish to play in AJGA events. Its goal is to give top-flight golf opportunities to young golfers regardless of financial resources. This program helps to fulfill the AJGA’s mission of developing young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

Leadership Links

What is Leadership Links?

Leadership Links is a new program whereby the AJGA is able to further its mission to help develop young men and women by teaching charitable giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. This program gives juniors all the tools necessary to donate their time, talent and resources to local charities and the AJGA youth development programs. Please click here to learn more about the program and the different opportunities available.

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and
development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.